This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art, which may be related to various aspects of the present invention that are described and claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
A typical computer system communicates with a great number of internal and external devices in the course of normal operation. Interrupts are one way of organizing and controlling this communication. In an interrupt-based system, when a device requires attention from the computer's central processing unit (“CPU”), it generates an interrupt. When the CPU receives the interrupt it typically stops its current task and enters an interrupt mode to process the interrupt. Because the receipt of an interrupt causes the CPU to stop its current processing to address the interrupt, performance degradation may develop if the CPU receives so many interrupts that it is unable to efficiently complete execution of other tasks.